Malabar man shot dead on corner

HOURS after Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced a revamped war on crime on Tuesday, murder number 20 was recorded for 2014. The toll for the same period last year was three.

Police said around 8.30 p.m. on Tuesday, the victim—Derek Pina, 21, of Malabar—was standing at the corner of Green and St Joseph Streets in Arima, when he was approached by two men who opened fire on him. Pina, who worked as a maxi-taxi tout on the Arima maxi-stand, was killed on the spot.

Officers from the Arima Police Station and the Homicide Bureau visited the scene, where they conducted enquiries.

Pina’s mother, who spoke to reporters on the murder scene on Tuesday night, said she did not know why someone would have walked up to her son and shot him dead, but added “crime is out of control and the Prime Minister has no idea how it feels to lose a loved one like this”. She added, “Derek was a kind-hearted man and none of us knew why someone would want to kill him because Derek wanted to be what he thought was best for him.” —GG